Friday, October 21, 2016

Justin Trudeau and the Electoral Reform Farce



Yesterday I celebrated the one-year anniversary of the day Justin Trudeau brought down the Con regime, after a decade of darkness.

Only to be reminded how fragile was that victory.

And how desperately the Con media are to return us to the nightmare we escaped.

And to try to destroy Justin.



For all it took was Trudeau musing about electoral reform in an interview with Le Devoir, to have some of them claiming hysterically that he was preparing to break his promise to change our voting system.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that the 2015 federal election would be the last fought under the first-past-the-post system, but, a year into his majority government, he is suggesting that electoral reform is no longer the urgent issue it was when the Conservatives under Stephen Harper were in power.


“Under Mr. Harper, there were so many people who were unhappy with the government and his approach that people said, ‘We need electoral reform in order to stop having governments we don’t like,’ ” Mr. Trudeau told the newspaper in French. “However, under the current system, they now have a government with which they are more satisfied. And the thirst to change the electoral system is less striking.”


And send some like the former Postmedia reporter Stephen Maher, into a paroxysm of rage. 



Essentially, Trudeau is saying that he wanted to change the system until he took over, at which point he no longer saw the need, because Canadians are so happy with him. 

This is the voice of arrogance in power. It’s the voice that whispers in the PM’s ear that, since the best thing for the people (obviously) is that he continue to provide them with wise leadership, their interests are best served by carrying on with the system that leaves him in charge.

Which has been echoed by many others in the Con media.

Even though Trudeau is describing the situation accurately. The urgent desire for electoral reform has faded since he came to office. It's near the bottom on Canadian's lists of priorities.

And if Justin wanted to keep the first-past-the-post system, all he would have to do is agree to hold a referendum on the issue, which the Cons AND the Con media have been pushing so aggressively.




For a referendum would almost certainly lock in the status quo, for years to come.

And even if electoral reform did end up carrying the day, there would be no time to implement the changes before the next election.

And so far Justin Trudeau has shown no signs of favouring a referendum, and has in fact reaffirmed his commitment to change our voting system.

“I think it’s important that a country as forward thinking and constantly improving and evolving as Canada is alert to opportunities to improve our systems of governance and the way we pick our governments,” Trudeau said after taking part in the official opening of Amazon Canada’s new warehouse and distribution centre in Brampton, Ont. 

“That’s a commitment we made in our election that I continue to be deeply committed to.”

And so much for that farce.

Electoral reform is indeed endangered, but only because the Cons and the Con media  are so dead set against it.

Trudeau should be judged by what he does after the committee studying the matter presents its recommendations on Nov. 1.

And in the meantime he is doing Canadians a favour by reminding them that public indifference is the greatest enemy of change.

And those who think differently and are so quick to tear down what we have built,  are only playing into the hands of the Cons.

And will only end up getting the government, and the nightmare they deserve...



12 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:54 AM

    So Little Tater's lying is everyone else's fault. Wow, just wow.

    He fooled you, Simon, and is going on fooling you. Your attempts to excuse and justify what Junior has done are just sad.

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  2. hi anon...only in your dreams. Trudeau is not lying, he's incredibly popular. Can you believe those numbers? The guy who "just wasn't ready." If he flies any higher he'll have to wear an oxygen mask. And what's really sad is the state of the Harper Party. Leaderless, dead in the water, and looking like a boiled tater...

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    1. Anonymous10:50 AM

      Popular now, but people hate being tricked, even by a fraud with nice hair.

      Lies about electoral reform. Stalled union contract talks. Broken promises to the natives. Heck even the pot heads are starting to wonder.

      Give it time, give it time. I don't think he will do well when he is no longer 'beloved'.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11:07 AM

    action will speak more than words ............waiting ...............

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    1. Anonymous3:29 PM

      I suggest a lawn chair or a bed. You will be waiting a long time.

      Delete
  4. While I see no serious reason, yet, to doubt that the Liberals will bring in some sort of electoral reform, I think it is rationally (and certainly historically) problematic to equate popularity with competence, or honesty for that matter. I think many people on the left have been far too kind to Trudeau, who did indeed shift tone and some policies away from the Cons, but have so far left far too much of the Harper legacy intact. I for one, continue to wait and see on a number of important fronts.

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    1. Anonymous11:03 PM

      And wait and wait and wait you shall.

      Delete
    2. hi Kirby...the reason I wrote this post was because it bothered me to see how many people were so quick to condemn Trudeau for simply saying what was true. And I have always hated the way Canadians like to tear down what they have built. And while Justin could never be left-wing enough for me, he has demolished a lot of Harper's legacy, and only yesterday passed a bill to eliminate the Con's ghastly anti-union bill C-377. He has also made Canada a much better place to live in, and elevated our standing in the world. And since he has only been in power less than one year, I think people should give him more time before they jump to judgement...

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    3. I agree, Simon, we will only have a true picture a couple of years down the line. In politics it is never clear to what degree people commit to things that they know will never go ahead for other reasons (like pipelines), hoping that someone or something else solves the problems for them. I am a realist, I never believed the hype of Trudeau as a left-winger. And we seem to have gotten more or less what I expected. Actually, my big picture concern here is about when we are going to get a party in this country that actually addresses the structural inequality that has emerged over the past thirty or forty years. Trudeau isn't going to, Mulcair certainly was never going to... when will someone in our political class start talking about this huge problem that is going to take a profound commitment to address?

      Delete
  5. seriously anonymous?
    i'd love to know what it is you do for others except heckling those who try.
    your impatience too easily turns into trump-grade simplicity, sir and that is too bad because there is something about what you say - we have lots of time, between birth and death. some of us accept that reality is the product of an on-going and fierce negotiation. always. and it's never perfect. so while some people spend their only time in a lawn chair or a bed, others will have things to do and they will do them, no matter how long it takes.

    i think the lawn chair lifers imagine reality to be some final swell place :-/

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  6. Tyee Poll: So, Do You Still Want Electoral Reform?
    http://thetyee.ca/Polls/2016/10/20/Electoral-Reform/

    Why Trudeau Must Honour Electoral Reform Promise
    http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/10/20/Trudeau-Electoral-Reform-Promise/

    [snip]

    This week, Trudeau suggested that Canadians were so happy with his government that they may be less interested in electoral reform. Trudeau was right when he said Canadians didn’t like one-man-rule before 2015; it takes a lot of chutzpah to suggest they like it better now.

    In the 2015 election, the majority of Canadian voters cast their ballots for parties that promised to improve Canada’s democracy. It is now time for the government to be brave and honest enough to implement voter equality as promised and on time.

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  7. http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thehouse/midweek-podcast-a-year-after-the-liberals-election-victory-1.3812283

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